Life With Our Little Man

I haven’t done an Axel, mom, LIFE update in some time, and after his six-month checkup I thought it would be good to share a little more about our world right now. I know I devote most of this blog to my training and fitness interests, but that is such a small segment of my life compared to my role as mom and wife! Basically, these two are my world.

At his six-month appointment, Axel weighed in at a whopping 17lbs 10oz (50th percentile) and is now 28 inches long. He is TALL for his age (95th percentile), which is probably why most of his 3-9 month clothes never got worn and he is now wearing sizes up to 12 months. Justin and I are both tall (I’m 5’ 9”) so I’m not surprised by this at all. We also learned that his head is in the 95th percentile for circumference, so who knows…maybe he’ll invent the next Facebook.

My favorite thing about Axel? His easy-going happy attitude. He is seriously the HAPPIEST baby and rarely cries unless he is hungry or in desperate need of a diaper change. He seems to love being around people and is always curious and smiling when we take him out and about. One of my favorite outings with him has been to the pool on family day. Axel loves the water, but I think he was even more interested in watching all the kids and people splashing about around him.

The kid never sits still and is highly energetic like his mother (and his Nana too). He loves rolling around, grabbing his toes, moving about, and talking, talking talking (no words yet, just baby talk), especially when he is wearing only a diaper. We are just waiting for the moment when he starts pushing forward, which should be any day now.

Axel’s one obsession? Tags. For some reason, he loves the little white care/cleaning/instruction tags. Give him his taggie blanket and he goes straight for the instruction tag. Put him in his activity jumper surrounded by colorful amazing toys and he’ll spend 10 minutes trying to reach for the white instruction tag that hangs off one of the bars. Oh, if life were only like this for all of us.

After Axel went through a little sleep regression around 4 months old, it seems like one night everything just clicked and he slept through the night, from 7pm to 6am. We quickly developed an evening routine of play, bath, eat, book, and bedtime. Now, he falls asleep like a champ every night and has been sleeping through the night ever since. I feel as though he has learned to associate the Zipadee-Zip with sleep, so whenever we put him in it (for bedtime or naps) he usually falls asleep within minutes.

And he’s a resilient sleeper too. The other night, the power went out at our house a few hours before the finale of The Bachelor (commence crisis mode!). We put Axel to bed at his usual 7pm bedtime, but when the power had not had not come back on by 8:30pm and the house was getting really cold we woke him up, packed everything up, and took him over to my mom’s (her power was still on) to watch the finale and sleep there if need be. Axel went right to sleep on a blanket on the floor of her guest bedroom, and we woke him up again about 90 minutes later to take him back home (the power had come back on by then). He went right back to sleep in his crib, and slept through the night.

We are planning on transitioning Axel into his own room this weekend now that our blackout shades arrived and were installed. Because of the time change and the fact that it doesn’t get dark now until after his bedtime, we thought the shades would be a good investment. He has FOUR windows in his room, and they all face south or west, so it stays fairly bright until the sun goes down. Maybe it wasn’t the smartest move to put the nursery in the room with all the windows (amateur parents) but at least we found a good solution! Please send some positive thoughts our way that the transition goes well (for mom and baby).

Introducing solids has made for some serious entertainment around these parts. Axel is not only an enthusiastic breast milk fan, but he seems to like ALL foods (at least the foods we have given him so far) especially banana and sweet potato, but also pear, avocado, apple, and prunes. Oh, except we tried giving him plain all natural yogurt (think, very tart) and he HATED it. He made the most priceless face in the world and let us know with a big mess that we were horrible parents for putting that nastiness in his mouth. I’m excited to continue offering Axel new foods and watching his reactions unfold.

It definitely gets a little easier for me as Axel gets older and grows more interactive. I really struggled with the newborn phase and do not miss it. Now that Axel has a giant personality and is more in tune with everything going on around him, I am finding that my time with him is more enjoyable and rewarding. The hardest part about being a SAHM and WAHM is the loneliness that can set in from time to time. I do my best to get out (training really helps) but there are moments here and there where I feel like time comes to a standstill. I am really craving the warmth of spring and summer so Axel and I can get out of the house and do more.

Physically, I feel 95% back to normal, but much stronger than I was pre-pregnancy. I don’t know if I’m just eating or training differently, or perhaps carrying around an 18 pound baby has something to do with it, but I feel much more in tune with my body. For the first time in my life, I am much more focused on health and strength, than I am on weight and being thin. It’s a good feeling. Ironman training has already taught me so much – I can’t wait to learn and grow more over these next few months.

I definitely feel more confident as a woman and take pride in everything that I do for my son. It feels good knowing that I am contributing so much to the enhancement of another’s life. Right now I am playing a huge role in shaping the type of person he will become – and I love that. No pressure, right?

Comments

Such a cutie, thanks for the update. I always enjoyed the new stages the kids went through, and was not one to “miss” the infant stage. For me, life was better “on the move”. I remember covering up ALL the windows too! That part brought a smile to my face. Of course, now I go to bed earlier than my son!! It is crazy, but they grow up (and wake up before ANY of them!!) This parenting thing is not for the faint of heart!!
It’s great that Axel likes to eat all foods. None of my kids are, or ever have been picky eaters–thank goodness! Actually my oldest is famous (in our family), for saying, “I’d like to try that…” You could say ANYTHING, and he would say, “I’d like to try that”. Then, his sister 14 months younger and VERY competitive, would eat it just to follow suit, and my youngest would eat it just because everyone else was…So I guess I should thank Hunter’s adventurous spirit!cheryl recently posted…A different kind of workout

He’s underwater! I know nothing about babies, so tell me, is it normal or them to go under like that and at least, according to what it looks like in the picture, seem to enjoy it?? Or maybe it is not normal and he just inherited your triathlete genes??Megan @ Meg Go Run recently posted…Weekly Workout Recap!

You look fantastic in both pictures! Baby Axel is such a handsome little man and has such a sweet angelic face! He’s going to start crawling and moving and you’ll find yourself burning extra calories in trying to catch up with him! I see so many fun Summer adventures up ahead. Praying he has a smooth transition to his bedroom.Luisa recently posted…Mental Training

I love that picture of you and Axel in the pool! How wonderful. I think you are raising a future triathlete. He’s in the pool with you, he’s at your races and soon he’ll be waiting for you at the finish line of your IM. All of that will definitely inspire and motivate him as he grows up!Kristina recently posted…Exactly What I Needed

It sounds like things are going great! Congratulations on getting past six months! I’m sure the interactiveness is so much fun. I’m going back to work next Monday, and I’m so so sad to miss out on these moments, but I’m really excited that I’ll be home for two months after she turns 6 months. It sounds like a great time to get to enjoy! It’s so nice to hear that you’re doing so well and seem to be balancing it all!Meghan @ little girl in the big world recently posted…How Having a Baby Has Changed Our Marriage

Wow, What a cutie! And happy, and a good eater and sleeper. You got a winner! My son is currently in the 4-mo sleep regression… He’s hoping like Axel once he’s through this we’ll get a full night’s sleep!
That Zipadee-Zip blanket for sleeping looks great – Something that actually keeps their hands warm! I’m using the Merlin sleepsuit for my son and sometimes his hands seem a little cold.
What is it about tags that is so fascinating?!?Kelly recently posted…Easter Weekend

What a great update! I just stumbled upon your blog and felt so inspired by you! You go girl, what an accomplishment raising a baby, being a wife, running a blog and training for an ironman! Wow!! Sending love xo C

Axel is such a handsome little man!!! I think Adeline would have a little crush 😉 I can’t get over him being under water! WOW! That is amazing!! How has he reacted to swimming? I can’t wait to take A this summer! You look beautiful, strong, and confident, mama!Sarah @ Sweet Miles recently posted…Adeline’s First Easter: Photo Recap

He is just the cutest – and, he looks so happy! So glad things are going well! No doubt he’s gonna be an active, adventurous and outdoorsy kiddo with you two as parents 🙂 And, you look fit + strong, too! Keep rocking it, lady!erin recently posted…time hack #2 // plan ahead

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

Hi, I’m Kristen. Thank you for stopping by. Follow me along my journey of becoming a faster runner, endurance triathlete, and world traveler. I’ll also mix in a few random musings, open up about life, and share my adventures around my hometown of Bend, Oregon.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.